Humble Beginnings
by Perry the platapus
Summary: A modern twist on the Merlin tv series, Merlin moves to the city to get a job and meets Arthur the obnoxious son of the politician who banned all magic.
1. Chapter 1

Looking down at the boy outside my door I memorised id never seen such power before, he was still a little shaky but with the right training he'd be great. Although I was amazed I was unsure of what to do with these powers if anyone was to find out we'd be shot, and why of all people had his mother sent him to me. Admittedly I was the only one in our family who still practised the old ways of medicine but it was hard enough hiding my potions without a young wizard around to stir things up and a wizard that was so ignorant of the restrictions he'd practice magic in a hallway for all to see.

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I still didn't know what mum expected to do with my powers I mean they were practically useless with a remote that controlled everything and every mode of transport thinkable apart from party tricks but who could do them without the authority's finding out. "Go to the city and live with your great uncle Gaius oh and while your at it I've go you a job working for Arthur Pendragon son of the man who had banned all magic." What a way to get myself caught.

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Gaius opened the door making merlin almost jump out of his skin

"what the hell do you think your doing"

"What??" Merlin replied

Gaius dragged merlin by his left arm into the apartment and slammed the door the apartment looked simple a small room with a TV in the comer a little sofa with a coffee table with the daily paper on it. There was a smell of lavender and some other herb that merlin did not quite recognise.

"you shouldn't be practising magic in the hallway you know its against the law your mother told me you were intelligent well ill soon knock some sense into you ."

"sorry" merlin felt embarrassed he'd never been told of like this for using magic he was always told it was a gift.

"you've got to be more careful around Arthur he could have you killed"

A buzzer went of somewhere in the apartment merlin quickly darted around to see f anyone was there.

"calm down merlin its only the doorbell"

Gaius moved swiftly to the door merlin could not quite hear what Gaius was saying but it sounded like he was inviting the stranger in.

"I'm Arthur Pendragon I've come to make sure my slave had arrived safely"

"I believe the actual term is assistant" merlin replied from the moment he saw him he knew Arthur was as obnoxious as he thought he was.

"yeah whatever oh and on your way to work tomorrow could you pick me up a double espresso I need my morning caffeine especially at 6 o'clock"

"I have to be at work at 6"

"no"

Merlin sighed in relief

"you have to be at work at 5 to prepare my breakfast and plan my schedule for the day"

Merlin's mouth dropped open he was beginning thinking that he shouldn't of moved to the city his modest house (that always had that home smell) and the little corner shop in which he worked seemed perfect compared to this.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin yawned as he got awoken his phone vibrating in his pocket "Hello?" Merlin said with a half hearted sigh. "Where the hell are you?" Arthur screamed down the phone. Merlin squinted as he looked towards the clock "oh god I'm so sorry um I'm so sorry I'll be their In a minuet I'm so" Arthur quickly interrupted "just Shut up you blathering idiot hurry up and don't forget my double espresso" Arthur hung up "I'm not a blathering idiot" he said into and empty phone.

Running down the street Starbucks in one hand and the mobile in the other he turned quickly

into the building that Arthur lived in. "watch where your going" Merlin heard as he crashed into a young lady walking out the building wearing Jeans and a long black coat, her face was tanned and she had a sort of sparkle to her eyes in her arms what seemed like a lot of dry cleaning " you nearly got coffee all over these dresses" Merlin unsure what to say began to stutter "um I'm so sorry oh and its not coffee its espresso well actually double espresso but it doesn't matter what matters is that I'm sorry" She sighed "blathering idiot" as she walked of merlin was still confused "I think I need some coffee and I'm not a blathering idiot" he muttered to himself.

Merlin entered Arthur's apartment "Finally honestly you cant get the staff these days I've got to go out to some charity event I'll be back at 12 I expect my apartment to be clean and tidy" and with that he left shutting the door behind him. Merlin stared blankly at the apartment "you have got to be kidding me" across the floor was clothes that looked like they'd been trampled by pigs takeaways were left on surfaces and the bin seemed to be overflowing with Starbucks cartons.

"no wonder the last guy quit" as he began sorting the clothes with his mind he heard a knock at the door "oh god clothes just stop floating I knew this was a bad idea" the clothes fell to the ground "come in" the girl who he'd bumped into earlier came in.

"Morgana wanted me to drop these ..oh are you Arthur's new assistant"

"yes that's me destined to be known as Arthur's assistant till I find better work"

"he's not that bad admittedly a little untidy" she said looking at a heap of dirty clothes in the corner

"you have no idea"

"well I'd better be going I've got dry cleaning to sort out"

"switch jobs?"

She gave a little laugh "not likely have fun"

Two hours and a lot of magic later merlin sat on the sofa "wow imagine if I actually had to clean the apartment without magic" he turned on the TV to see a news bulletin to come up saying 'more suspicions on use of magic against the government 47 people have been arrested in the past week' a voice in the back of merlin's head started talking "that could be you better watch where you use your magic" Merlin looked around to see who was talking but he couldn't see anyone it just felt cold and almost creepy.

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Wow thanks for the amazing response to my fan fic so far this is my first go and its great to hear so many positive comments.


	3. Chapter 3

"How was your first day of work" said Gaius as Merlin entered the room "you don't want to know" and with that Merlin went to his room to go to sleep but as he was about to fall asleep his phone began to vibrate in his pocket "hello who is it" merlin grumbled "Stop sounding so soppy I just called to remind you to pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow morning before you come to work" of course it was Arthur who else would it be "the dry cleaners isn't open at 5 in the morning" "well collect it at 6 then after you've got my coffee and breakfast" Merlin sighed and wondered if Arthur thought before he talked "Let me rephrase that the dry cleaners doesn't open till 8" Arthur sighed "well just collect it as soon as possible" Merlin hung up ad wet to sleep.

Merlin woke up with an almost blissful feeling he hadn't slept so well in ages looking at his alarm clock it was only 3:30am he slipped into his jeans and t-shirt and left the house just as the sun began to rise. He'd never seen the streets this quiet usually as he walked along to Arthur's apartment there were people rushing to get to work on time not that any of them actually wanted to be at work on time. Merlin stopped by Starbucks grabbed a double espresso and a tostie for Arthur's Breakfast. As marlin entered the apartment he saw Arthur sprawled out across the sofa, he moaned as he rolled over, the corners of Merlin's mouth slowly turned up. Merlin left the espresso and the tostie on the side table with a little note saying, 'just gone to get the dry cleaning be back in a bit :)'

It was 5:30 when Merlin reached the dry cleaners, to no surprise the door was locked but there was someone moving around at the back of the shop merlin knocked on the door 'hello'. Merlin was surprised to see Morgana's assistant come to the door 'are you here to collect Arthur's dry cleaning' She said 'um yeah are you collecting Morgana's' Merlin said as he entered the shop it had quite a musty smell and seemed quite run down. 'I'm Guinevere but most people just call me Gwen' Merlin who was thinking in his own little world was unsure of what she meant 'Pardon what?' Gwen let out a small smirk 'well its just last time we met you never said your name and I never really said mine either' 'oh yeah well I'm merlin'

Arthur woke up almost unsure of where he was for a minuet gained realisation then fell of the sofa onto the ground with a thud. 'ow stupid sofa' he murmured as he rubbed his head. He looked at the clock 5:30am He thought to himself yet again Merlin was late as he went to grab the phone he noticed the tostie and espresso with the little note and smiled to himself 'well maybe he's not useless after all'

Walking along the street back to Arthur's apartment Merlin became suspicious that someone was following him he herd footsteps behind him but every time he turned around to see who it was the little flicker of movement disappeared into the shadows. By the time he reached Arthur's apartment the sun was completely covered by large black clouds. As he turned the corner he saw a crazy woman on the corner screaming the end is nigh. Merlin tried to hurry past her but she grabbed his arm 'let go of me you creep' Merlin shouted the lady whispered in his ear 'you and Arthur are one bad things will happen tomorrow night you must protect him' Merlin deep down knew she was right but pulled away and escaped to Arthur's apartment.

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Thanks for all the response so far sorry its taken a while for this chapter to come out but here it is please comment id love to hear your idears.


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin yawned as he climbed out of bed in only 2 days he was almost used to getting up at 4 in the morning as if he had been doing all his life. He looked at his phone 12 missed calls he'd also got used to putting it on silent when he was sleeping as Arthur often called him with jobs ad tasks to do before he got to work. Merlin dismissed the calls and planed to tell Arthur that he had just not got any messages. As merlin was putting on his jeans he heard the doorbell go 'who would want to be here at this hour. Merlin pulled on a shirt and went to the door.

'oh hi' Merlin said as he opened the door to see Gwen standing in his doorway 'you live here???' she asked. 'yeah this is my apartment well its not mine its my great uncle's apartment what are you doing here anyway??' Merlin replied. 'Morgana sent me over to pick up some more sleeping pills she's been having her nightmares again, is Gaius in?' 'oh yeah well um come in ill go get him' Merlin turned around to see Gaius already I one of the medicine cabinets grabbing a rather odd looking liquid. 'give this to her its a little stronger' as Gaius passed over the pot which the liquid had turned to little pills 'um thanks see you Merlin' as the door closed merlin turned to Gaius 'you used magic!' Merlin said ' you told me never to use magic in front of people and you do it in front of the assistant of the daughter of the man who if he knew would want you dead, she could have seen'. Gaius sighed 'you really think I'm that stupid Now isn't there somewhere you should be' He said as he raised his right eyebrow. 'Oh god, work' with that Merlin hurried out the door.

'ah there you are Merlin I assume you've got everything ready for tonight' Merlin gave Arthur a confused look. 'Tonight?' Arthur sighed 'the roof party the one I told you about the day before yesterday honestly merlin I do wonder if you ever listen to a word I'm saying.'

'oh yes the roof party it completely disappeared from my mind for a minuet'

'well that keeps happening well just make sure the preparations are in place'

'OK then ill just go get some drinks from the shop'

'make sure there alcoholic'

'Orange juice it is then' merlin smirked

'you'd better be joking'

Merlin sighed and left. Yet again the mad woman was outside the building 'I see you have not listened to my warning grave danger will face Arthur if you continue to let this party go forth' Merlin was scared that the old bat was telling the truth .

'you honestly think I'm going to listen to an old bat who lives on a street comer. Anyway who are you'

'My name is Helena Swindle but you and I both know that titles don't matter when an assistant holds more power than his master'

'I don't know how you know any of this but leave me alone'

'just be warned just as darkness doesn't always mean evil light is not always good, beauty is only skin deep head my warning'

Merlin hurried down the street to get away from her as possible he knew deep down that she was telling the truth but how would it sound to Arthur 'hi you need to cancel your party because some weird homeless woman on the side of the street told me to' Merlin was confused and unsure what to do.

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Thanks for the amazing response so far comment what you think sorry this took so long coming out I've been really busy enjoy.


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